Arizona’s New Anti-A.I. Bill Protects Politicians, But No One Else

There is an unspoken rule of change in the modern day: "Politicians only regulate something if it affects them."

This has rang true for decades, and it's happening again, this time in Arizona.

The Rise of A.I. in Politics

Artificial Intelligence has been all the rage recently. Whether it be chatbots that can write your college essays, voice modulators to make voices sound just like your favorite characters, and pictures/videos that are starting to look frighteningly real.

Well, all of these have combined into the perfect storm for politicians, ushering in a new era of "Deep Fakes". These are A.I. generated videos and calls that are meant to look and sound exactly like politicians. They're used to spread misinformation, especially among less informed voters who may not be able to tell the difference.

Read More: Arizona Combats Election Interference

How Will Arizona Respond to A.I.?

Deep Fakes are becoming one of the biggest issues facing the 2024 election cycle. In an era of constant online misinformation, this seems like the final nail in the coffin. Luckily, Arizona has an answer.

House Bill 2394 has just been signed by Governor Katie Hobbs, and it seems to finally put an end to Deep Fakes, but only for a select few. The bill allows politicians running for office to take action against Deep Fakes up to two years after the post is made.

This bill is incredibly helpful, and should put a stop to A.I. being used for election misinformation, but leaves almost every other avenue wide open. Find a generated video of you cheating on your spouse? Too bad, there's nothing you can do about it.

Luckily, this seems to be the first step into full-on A.I. legislation, and a first step is a right step, as long as you take the next one.

[azleg.gov]